Arsenal fans and a stressful title race: How four generations are coping with run-in

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Take Arsenal’s season, as they chase down a first Premier League title for 22 years. If you had seen the Invincibles, would it make this run-in easier to cope with? If you went further back and saw the end to Arsenal’s 1988-89 title win, does the prospect of it coming down to goal difference seem less concerning? What if you have never seen, or don’t remember, the last time Arsenal won a league title? Is ignorance bliss, or does it only ramp up the exhaustion and tension? To find out, we got together our Arsenal generations panel — Amy (first game: Arsenal 3 Nottingham Forest 0, 1977), Richard (Arsenal 3 Luton 0, 1956), Art (Arsenal 2-1 PSG, Emirates Cup, 2007) and Arthur (Arsenal 0-0 Hull, 2016) — to get their views. Amy: Intense. Being a challenger in the era that has been dominated by such a powerful Manchester City, there is a constant feeling that any dropped point could be costly. That dates back to August, and Arsenal’s first squandered opportunity against Liverpool. It’s a relentless feeling, which gets multiplied each time a game is close and, let’s face it, most of them have been on a knife-edge in terms of the result. Arsenal went on a brilliant run in the autumn, winning 10 games in a row while City were drifting. That was probably the most enjoyable phase of the season. But even then, there remained a constant sense of need to get as far away from them as possible. They lurk in the back of your mind. It is hard to live this season in isolation, so the context of a 22-year wait for a title, and the irritating earworm of the “second again” soundtrack, adds weight to how each game — and point — is judged. Art: Weird. Injuries being such a major plotline has made this season feel like a bit of a slog, but there have been some fun patches to enjoy. The most enjoyable period was around October-November. Arsenal seemed to be in a groove both in the Premier League and the Champions League. Since the New Year, the season has been stressful. Other than matches against promoted teams and Spurs, games have been so tight, and kept emotions running high right until the final whistle. Strangely, the last few weeks have felt less dramatic. In my head, what has happened has happened, and now it’s all about turning up in each game, which has taken a bit of the emotion out of it. Arthur: I always thought Arsenal would challenge this season and, like Art, I think the best period was in the autumn, especially that spell when we barely seemed to allow opponents a shot on target. Tottenham being so bad has been funny — one of my best friends is a Spurs fan, so winning both derbies so easily has been a highlight. I’ve found it confusing as to why the same players who were so creative earlier in the season have suddenly become so cautious or out of form in recent weeks. And I think Arteta should maybe have used Max Dowman a little more, especially after he was so decisive in the Everton game.  Richard: Largely unenjoyable. The number of enjoyable games at the Emirates this season has been few: Tottenham, plus convincing wins over Villa and Leeds. The basic principle of playing at home, which is what I can comment on as a season-ticket holder, is that you are aware that everybody feels the same way. Every home game, for the first 20 minutes, we are all over them. And if we haven’t scored by minute 21, we know we are in for a jittery time. Amy: Ultimately, if Arsenal get to the promised land, the elation will be extreme enough to obliterate the fact that it has been quite a torturous journey. I’ve seen a few title attempts, including five triumphs. This one does feel more fraught. That is partly because a conservative style is more likely to build up stress, but mostly because of the contemporary environment. Every title win I have seen (between 1989 and 2004) came before the toxic madness of social media. It was easier to deal with a game and its aftermath within a much smaller circle of interest. It was you, maybe some mates you were physically in the same place as, maybe the pub, maybe a radio phone-in, maybe some TV highlights later on, then the next morning’s newspaper. Now every aspect, all day, every day, is swirling in a tornado of vociferous opinion and mockery. Within 20 minutes of Arsenal losing to Bournemouth recently, one of my teenage sons opened his phone to approximately 700 notifications – just from people he knows, without even looking at anything wider. It is a different world, and infinitely harder to find perspective or switch off from it all. My first experience of a title win came after a long drought which had lasted my whole lifetime. I was born in the summer of 1971, just after Arsenal won the league at White Hart Lane. I grew up hearing all about it, this pedestal all teams had to try to reach. When they did, in 1989, it came in the most dramatic finish to a title race ever. Probably my favourite era of title races was the duelling between Sir Ferguson’s Manchester United and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. It was a period of even, bitterly intense, golden rivalry full of fantastic players on both teams. You couldn’t take your eyes off it. Art: It depends on what we class as a title race. Arsenal threatened to challenge in 2007-08, 2010-11 and 2013-14. Threatened is the key word, as capitulations became the norm. The 2022-23 season is the most similar, although that capitulation came in April. I don’t count last season as a ‘title race’ because Liverpool were crowned in April, but the 2023-24 run-in feels most comparable. Looking back on that run-in, one of the major factors that helped Arsenal was consistency. They won all of their last five matches, with Mikel Arteta naming the same line-up in four of those games. If any lessons can be taken from 2023-24, it may be that balance is key. Arsenal have found more balance with Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard starting together, which could be key. Arthur: My first one (2022-23) was when we scored loads of goals and everything felt new and unexpected, but squad depth counted against us a bit. But that was when I was youngest (12-13), so for me the most enjoyable was 2023-24, especially the run in the second half of the season when Arsenal won 6-0 at West Ham, and 5-0 at Burnley and Sheffield United and at home to Chelsea. So annoying was that Villa home game when they scored two late goals, which ultimately cost us. I don’t think last season was ever really a race and it’s hard to know how to feel about this season when we don’t know how it’s going to end. If we win, clearly it will be the best Arsenal season I’ve ever seen. Richard: This season reminds me so much of 1970-71. More so than any season since. First of all, we have similar sides. The league in 1970-71 was not won through flair. But the team had a magnificent unity and work ethic. A lot of those games, especially in the run-in, were 1-0. This season has built into a crescendo in a way that reminds a lot of that time, with the feeling that even though we were kind of on top, we were never completely clear of Leeds, who were the rivals for the title back then. We were very unlucky to lose up there late in the season, and it created a situation where the two teams were almost neck and neck. In 1970-71, there was also an FA Cup run and the cup was so important then, so two big prizes were on the line. In the end, we won the league at White Hart Lane on the final day, with a late goal that gave Arsenal a precious one-point advantage in the final table. It was an incredible day. The previous title had been in 1953, but the critical thing for the 1970-71 Arsenal side was that they won the European Fairs Cup the season before. That opened the door and gave us the sense that we might be a bit special. That was huge at the time. Amy: The dip in form during April was sobering. But in a weird way, it reduced the tension. It is so hard when you have everything to lose. When the field is more level, somehow it is easier to be more accepting of the fates. The matches themselves are an ordeal, but outside of that, not paying attention to overly or mischievously negative noise helps. There will be a time to react — one way or the other — but trying to reserve judgement until the final reckoning works for me. Art: Similar to Amy, I’ve found recent matches less stressful than a month or so ago. Liberating would be too strong a word, but as the gap has closed between Arsenal and City, it has made the objective much clearer. Don’t get me wrong, the Newcastle match was torture, but my overall feelings about the title are more settled. Arthur: Very. The City game at the Etihad felt like the quickest game I’ve ever watched, just went by in a flash. The Newcastle game was so stressful. It’s hard to forget about a bad result because I have a school to go to and my friends attempt to rattle me. Sometimes successfully.  Richard: I am finding the matches very tense. But once the games are over, I ignore a lot of the media and I am not bothered by what those people think. I got nervous after the losses recently but now have a much calmer mindset. Forget everything that has happened up to now. I don’t think that City are just going to steamroll us. Plus, there is Tottenham to put into the equation. Every time we have a horrible game, if you look at their situation, you get a warm feeling in your belly. It is making life easier. Amy: So many unpredictable factors can be at play over the coming four games, and five for City. That is 27 points at stake. If Arsenal can win the next two, against Fulham and West Ham, they have a reasonable chance of coming through. It would be a surprise if it were decided before the final day. Art: I feel like it will go down to the final day, but I doubt both teams will win all their matches. The Champions League and scheduling of City’s remaining games feel like they will take a toll. With Arsenal away to Crystal Palace, it would be nice for south London to rear its head in the club’s history books again. Arthur: I also think it will go to the last day — I don’t think Arsenal or City will drop points more than once. The game I’m most worried about is West Ham and it feels like Arsenal need to go into the final day with some sort of advantage, be that points or goal difference. It’s going to be tense! Richard: That Monday night against Burnley would do. But truthfully, I can see it being a horrible last Sunday with six split screens. The story of this season is so far from being written. If it were a novel, you would leave the last three chapters blank because there are twists and turns. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms